MAESTEG fire station have had to deal with 16 grass fires since Saturday night, a spokesman said yesterday.

The rocketing level of call outs has coincided with the unusually warm weather over the last week, with crews from the station being called out to at least four or five grass fires every day.

South Wales Fire Service said the fires, many of which are started deliberately, are putting others in danger.

“If we are up dealing with a fire on the top of a mountain we may not be able to get to a fire somewhere else,” said a spokesman.

“Sometimes it is a 15 or 20 minute walk just to get back to the engine from a fire.”

A South Wales Police spokesman said one fire on a hillside in Caerau on Saturday could clearly be seen from Caerau Square, and a further fire was discovered on the quad bike track off Herman Road on Saturday.

On Tuesday, firefighters spent more than two hours tackling another hillside blaze.

Crews from Maesteg have also been called to assist tackling fires in the Mid and West Wales Fire Service area.

The spokesman said Maesteg was one of the three busiest stations in the South Wales Fire Service area over the last four days, along with Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare.

In total South Wales Fire Service crews have attended 102 grass fires since 9pm on Saturday night.